About

Watipa is hope. Watipa is a social enterprise working to enable equal societies, just development, and equal health for all.

Founded in 2016, Watipa is a registered Community Interest Company limited by shares (10226833) and Charitable Incorporate Organisation (1173178) in England and Wales.

Watipa  is named after a nine-year-old girl in the North of Malawi, Watipa, who embodies courage, determination and hope for a better, just and more equal future. In Tumbuka, her local language, Watipa literally means ‘has been provided for.’

Watipa was founded in 2016 by 9 inspirational women from 6 different countries. The collaborative, inter-disciplinary and international approach of Watipa offers value for money (many minds for the price of one!) from the bespoke consultancy services we provide, and the quality of our technical advice is enhanced by the collaboration between technical experts across different contexts around the world.  Watipa’s services offer more than the sum of the parts provided by the individual area specialists.

Watipa’s work is founded on pillars of:

  • Intellectual excellence and lateral thinking
  • Innovations in programme implementation
  • Effective advocacy
  • Recognition of the power of communities
  • Learning from, listening to, and strengthening community participation
  • Agility and responsiveness

Lucy Stackpool-Moore is the founder and director of Watipa, and draws on more than 15 years of professional, academic and lived experience in community development in different contexts around the world. Lucy has worked for some leading non-government organisations in international development and currently also teaches courses on human rights, health, and international development at the University of London (Birkbeck College and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine) and Melbourne University Law School. Lucy has a PhD in International Development and Law (SOAS, University of London, 2013), an LLM in Human Rights (with distinction, Birkbeck, 2010), an MA in International Education (with distinction, University of Sussex, 2004), and a BA in Liberal Arts (with high honours, Harvard University, 2002).

For more information, see our website and meet the other consultants and founding members of Watipa.

Watipa is governed by a Board of 12 Trustees located in Australia, Kenya, Malawi, Nepal, Uganda and the UK. Honouring a commitment to meaningful youth engagement throughout decision making and programming, 1/3 of the Board of Trustees are young people under the age of 27 including 2 of the inaugural Watipa scholars.